BOLTON Council has pledged to continue its translation services, despite MP Ruth Kelly claiming immigrants were using such services as a "crutch".

The Bolton West MP said councils should encourage immigrants to learn English rather than routinely translating documents, which she believes encourages new arrivals to avoid learning the language.

She was speaking ahead of a report that will warn that the failure by immigrants to learn English is the single biggest barrier to integration.

Bolton Council spent £55,000 last year on translation and interpretation services.

Cllr Frank White, executive member for community cohesion, said translation was an important short-term measure. "We want to help people to integrate into their new community and feel at home in Bolton," he said.

"While it is desirable that in the long term new members of the Bolton family learn to speak English, in the short term it is important that we provide them with the support they need to enable them to integrate into community life and access the services they require." On the back of key leaflets, Bolton Council provides a phone number for people who want the information translated.

When people call the number, an interpreter explains the document to them and helps them understand, it rather than translating it.

While most requests are for translation into Urdu and Gujurati, the council has had requests for interpreters in 18 other languages, including Polish, Arabic, French, Kurdish, Slovakian, German and Swahili.

Tony McNeile, spokesman for Bolton Interfaith Council, said: "I am in favour of immigrants having the opportunity to learn English.

"But facilities for teaching English at the moment are poor and how can people learn the language if they haven't got the chance?"